The effect of sending appointment reminders to patients under treatment for substance abuse in the city of Córdoba, Argentina
Keywords:
Treatment compliance and adherence, Addiction medicine, Reminding systemsAbstract
Introduction. The treatments for substance abuse are known for their high dropout rates and reduced adherence levels, making it necessary to develop strategies to increase adherence. Objective. To determine the effect of sending reminders before each scheduled appointment on attendance to the appointments in patients under treatment for problems due to substance abuse. Method. Inter-subject experimental design with control group was applied. In the study 74 patients took part (52.7% women, 47.3% men) from a public health care center in Cordoba (Argentina). Results: When compared with the control group, the patients who got remainders showed 14.9% more attendance to the appointments. Sex, age and type of service did not present significant effects regarding attendance rate. Discussion: Remainders could be an effective strategy to increase treatment adherence and optimize public resources for addiction care.
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